After a pretty rough few days it as time to warmup and relax in the lovely town of Matsuyama. This town has a rich history as having one of the oldest Onsens in Japan. It is a beautiful town and we stayed in a traditional Ryokan at backpackers prices which included its own private Onsen. That evening we were both tired and beat up so downloaded a no thinking required Hollywood comedy and enjoyed the warmth. We spent ...

... the exercise very safe. Potholes and gravel roads seem to be words of the past, everything is perfect. Well, thinking of the people I meet through Russia and now Japan, the roads are a good reflexion to compare. On one hand you have the rough Russians, on the other the perfect Japanese, and here I am, thinking what a strange world we live in. It may surprise you, I like things perfect, but somehow I miss the potholes and the roughness ...

... name) of a "floating shrine". Again, the views were breathtaking....as was the hiking. We decided to hike to the top of Mt. Misen to take in the views from the observation tower. There is a tram that runs to the top but it was expensive, and hey, we're in shape folks! Right. After an hour and a half of climbing stone steps....the whole way....we arrived at the top. It was well worth the hike but very,very good exercise. We submitted to ...

Since I am staying next to a very famous onsen (public bath, said to be featured in Spirited Away) i thought it was about time I stopped doing so much. Unfortunately, I am not really into baths, not even alone, so a bath with a bunch of strangers is just not my deal (believe Me, I have done it many times), but people here are ...